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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Carne Asada

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...School is out and Father's Day is just around the corner. That means that like it or not, ready or not, barbecue season is officially here and it's time to fire up the grill. I have a recipe for a steak that's so consistently good, and so easy to make, that the line that separates one made by a rank amateur from that of seasoned grill master is hard to distinguish. While I've changed it a bit, the original recipe, called Carne Asada Brava, was developed by Rick Baylis for his book and television show, "Mexico One Plate at a Time." This is an almost fool-proof dish. Two cautions. The steak needs an hour to marinate and you'll want to make sure your pan or grill is screaming hot when the steak first hits the surface. Ribeye steaks were originally used to make the dish. I use one or two flatiron steaks in the version I make for my family. Try to find a local source for flatiron steaks. They are wonderful for grilling and are still inexpensive. High restaurant demand makes them difficult to find in some areas, but these flavorful and fork tender steaks are worth seeking out. I promise you won't be sorry. You can find information about the steaks here. The recipe calls for pan roasted garlic and jalapeno chiles and the aroma they exude as they blacken and bubble is quite amazing. Served with or without tortillas, I think you'll love this one. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:Marinade6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled2 fresh jalapeno chiles, stemmed1/4 cup fresh lime juice2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the steaks1-1/2 teaspoons salt or salt to tasteSteak2 pounds flatiron steak or 6 1-inch thick ribeye steaksDirections:1) To make marinade: Roast unpeeled garlic and chiles over medium heat in a small ungreased skillet, turning occasionally, until both are soft and blackened in places. Chiles will be ready in 5 to 10 minutes. Garlic will require about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool. Peel garlic and place in jar of a blender or food processor along with chiles, lime juice and oil. Process until mixture is as smooth as possible. Add salt. Place marinade in a dish large enough to hold steaks. Smear mixture over both sides of steaks, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.2) To grill steaks: Preheat a gas grill or heat a grill pan over high heat. Scrape off marinade and spray or brush both sides of steak with oil. Place steaks on grate or in grill pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes without moving steaks. Turn steaks and cook until medium rare, about 2 to 3 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat. Tent with foil and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Slice steak and serve with fresh salsa or a hot sauce. Yield: 6 servings.

Flatiron steak is a name I have never heard of, what part of the body does it come from? I would use fillet, but it is far too expensive!.The meat looks as if it is cooked to perfection, yum my mouth is watering. Diane

You know tomorrow is my birthday- the girls and guys of my open mic are taking me out for the only Tex-Mex place in this one horse town, and that is EXACTLY what I was planning to order, he he, I would rather have your homemade goodness though- as I chew, hopefully on its tender tasty wonderment...I will pretend you are there and we are talking about wonderful chefs like Rick Bayless!

Mary! I am so pleased that you stopped and visited my blog Nature Trail..your comment has led me back here to you and your delicious blog!I shall come by again as I am always stumped on what new dish to prepare..as I am a foody at heart love the Food Network and am really a FRESH FOOD believer.After having cancer twice sometimes I really wonder because I have never been a package or processed type of cook. A pleasure to meet you Mary!hugs

Wat really attracted me to dis deliciously roast was the name ''carne [meat] assada [roasted] coz we make out own little version of the portuguese roast and love it , but u totally had me with this one and i love what u always have to write about the amazingly delicious recipes u come up with!!!It has me drooling to think about wat the grill will do with the amazing marinade!!!

I love the marinade with the limes and garlic, Mary!Really a lovely presentation for your photo, too. I wish I had a grill available...think I will copy your recipe, get that steak in the marinade and take it over to my sons house!

Oooh, this is one dish I know my dad would LOVE. Then again, nobody could make it better than he could (I'm pretty sure he'd prefer to cook for himself, even on Father's Day!). This looks absolutely perfect.

Thank you so much for your beautiful, incredibly kind comment on my blog! You made my day! :-) I'm so glad you brought me to your beautiful blog! I adore carne asada, and I absolutely love this technique of pan-roasting the garlic and jalapenos...

I have to confess - I was lazy last two times I made dinner with carne asada. Our local Persian store caters to all different ethnic groups, and they had some wonderful and really cheap carne asada, already primped with the goodies. But, I'll definitely try this recipe.

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